Sacha Lorber, from France, SJC alum, 2019-2021 

Sacha arrived in Australia, and at St John’s College, site unseen. 

He was eager to live in one of the residential colleges because he wanted to have a “real Australian experience, make Aussie friends and understand the local culture”. While investigating accommodation options, he reached out to several John’s residents through social media and found them to welcoming and inviting. Put simply, that was why Sacha chose John’s. 

At College, Sacha always had a camera in his hand. He was the College photographer, visually documenting the many sports and cultural events that took place during the year. He also organised movie nights, particularly during the pandemic lockdowns. 

Sacha studied Peace and Conflict Studies at UQ and upon graduation enrolled at the University of Newcastle in the United Nations Master’s in Disaster Management and Sustainable Development. 

“Community is at the heart of everything that happens at St John’s. Particularly for us international students, when COVID lockdowns occurred, we worried what would happen to us. But St John’s remained open. Yes, many domestic students went home, but about 40 of us remained at College throughout the pandemic. The staff continued to prioritise us and ensure we had what we needed. Despite not ‘operating as normal’, there was a great sense of community that persisted, even during that very stressful time. It was a big deal to me, and to all of us”.